So the red car has just passed this milestone

and my love for it is renewed.

Yes to renew that love i've had to spent a considerable chunk of money but even still it has reclaimed a place in my heart.

Having spent 2 whole days in the pleasurable company of Ali, Jay, and Elliott at Unit 18 the car now has:

a new non leaking EGR valve,

new ferodo discs and pads at the back

new ferodo pads and jurid discs at the front

a fixed CV boot

a fresh no-advisories MOT

and to top it all off new second hand OEM suspension half the age of those that came off

The car is transformed.

The brakes now inspire the confidence they should rather than the pedal feeling worryingly long.

The suspension is the true revalation though!

Bumps are now absorbed and dealt with rather than slamming through springs which were compressed and didn't spring and dampers that did not damp.

Even small pot holes were previously like bombs going off in the chassi but now it's back to its compliant self.

Corners can now be taken with (semi)confidence again rather than always wondering at which point the jelly beneath me was going to fire me into a hedge!

I have to extend my thanks to the guys at Unit18 who put in 2 sterling days battling against hot manifolds and seized suspension to get my car fighting fit again.

They offered me a friendly open workshop to hang about it; put up with my snooping about the workshop watching them work on my car as well as answering questions about the rest of the vehicles they have (PITA 1.8T Fabia, 600bhp 200SX, E36 M3 with E46 CSL engine crammed under the bonnet, Chris's yellow wheeled Fabia SE in for an engine replacement)

All capped the whole lot off by giving ridiculously cheap pricing (half what one local indy quoted me)

It may be a 3 hour round trip but it is always worth it.

Oddly i'm almost looking forward to the point my turbo lets go and i have to go back for a replacement to be fitted

And of course the gold wheels still make me smile everytime i see them.

As do the clouds of soot when really going for it - as a tailgaiting TT found out!

and it's effortless speed proved by a quick blast to 130mph (on a suitably private and closed road obviously)

I truly do love it - as i always answer when people say "so is the Fabia any good?" "It's a car so good i bought a second one!"

Wouldn't you be better replacing the turbo now, rather than after it's gone and potentially taken out other components with it?

shhhh sam that's logic that my wallet can't live with

I have the turbo in the garage ready to go straight on and to be honest mine is "only a bit whistley" so i reckon it'll survive for the foreseable future - #fingerscrosseditdoesntexplode

Hopefully when Mrs Pasty is back on her feet and the black car is back on the road the mileage for the red car will descrease back to my 100 miles a week and it'll go on forever!

Or at least until it gets thrashed around Combe at the Action Day

Ahhh I see.

Mine has been whistley when it's cold from the day I've owned it.

I agree entirely about falling back in love with it though.

When I had my coilovers fitted, and finally sorted out my boost issues (I think) - it's a totally different car than from 6 months ago

Remember to take a pic in 1456 miles though

Remember to take a pic in 1456 miles though

As if it'd be that sad

It really is amazing how much the ride subconciously tainted my thoughts of the car though.

I used to hate any other than super smooth tarmac and some road around my place i simply refused to drive down or i'd drive down the less choppy/crashy/crunchy outside lane of a dual carriage way even when i had the road to myself!

It really got to the stage where i'd never take a drive for fun cos it was too uncomfortable and the handling too unpredictable, and thoughts of replacing it have grown larger and larger.

Now it's all is good in the world again. :love:

Yours has done almost 100,000 miles more than mine! You fill me with confidence that if I don't want to swap it, I probably won't have to until I'm properly old.

Typical the few days I dont go down there the 24 cart man turns up! Would have really liked to see the car/wheels in person. Nice read there though, totally know the feeling of falling back in love with the Fabia, done the same recently after the guys had a fettle. (Elliott looks a bit like Paul Di Resta no?) Despite the mileage i`v no doubts, like mine, it drives and feels nicer than many cars with a quarter of the miles/half the age.

Can i be nosey and ask how much it was for your suspension transplant? and did they supply the suspension or did you acquire this yourself?

Mines not long gone over the 100k mark and doesn't feel as nice to drive as it once did so i was thinking of doing the same to rekindle those feelings! I'm thinking of taking a trip up there (unit18) for a service, belt + remap... and if it's not too pricey, maybe get the suspension done too.

Edited 15 August, 201213 yr by steve75

Yours has done almost 100,000 miles more than mine! You fill me with confidence that if I don't want to swap it, I probably won't have to until I'm properly old.

yep if looked after they'll run pretty much forever. Mine hasn't actually been treated that well. I've left service intervals far too long (15 rather than 10k) and dnoe a few trackdays in it but it has never ever missed a beat.

It hasn't had a day off the road due to mechanical issues in the 4 years i've owned it.

Typical the few days I dont go down there the 24 cart man turns up! Would have really liked to see the car/wheels in person. Nice read there though, totally know the feeling of falling back in love with the Fabia, done the same recently after the guys had a fettle. (Elliott looks a bit like Paul Di Resta no?) Despite the mileage i`v no doubts, like mine, it drives and feels nicer than many cars with a quarter of the miles/half the age.

Your car was actually at the unit when i was up there three weeks ago and i had a bit of a nose about. The white wheels worked better than i expected, the brembos are HUGE and i did not expect the factory sat nav

Elliot is too fat to be Paul Di Resta - or so Ali would have anyone believe

Can i be nosey and ask how much it was for your suspension transplant? and did they supply the suspension or did you acquire this yourself?

Mines not long gone over the 100k mark and doesn't feel as nice to drive as it once did so i was thinking of doing the same to rekindle those feelings! I'm thinking of taking a trip up there (unit18) for a service, belt + remap... and if it's not too pricey, maybe get the suspension done too.

I bought my suspension second hand from here after someone removed it at 60k to put coilovers on.

The whole set up of dampers and springs set me back a whopping £60.

I think the overall costs of the labour involved in the swap was about £200

you might want to check out this annd find a 4th corner, or these and find the rears

Feel the same with my furby after fitting coilovers beginning of last month. Feels like its on rails! Love it